Reclining chairs



1962 G. A. CARLSON 3,049,375

RECLINING CHAIRS Filed March 1'7. 1961 5 Sheets-Sheetl INVENTOR.

GUSTAVE A. CARLSON ATTORNEYS" 1962 G. A. CARLSON 3,049,375

RECLINING CHAIRS Filed March 17. 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

GUSTAVE A CARLSON ATTORNEYS Aug. 14, 1962 G. A. CARLSON RECLINING CHAIRS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 17. 1961 am m mm W C I A w m G 5 ATTORNEYS 1952 G. A. CARLSON 3,049,375

RECLINING CHAIRS Filed March 17. 1961 5 SheetsSheet 4 INVENTOR. GUSTAVE A. CARLSON Chum 5 W ATTORNEYS 14, 1962 G. A. CARLSON 3,049,375-

RECLINING CHAIRS Filed March 17, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR.

GUSTAVE A. CARLSON BY ATTORNEYS Sttes Free 3,049,375 RECLINING CHAIRS Gustave A. Carlson, 468 NE. 100th St., Miami, Fla. Filed Mar. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 96,515 4 Claims. (Cl. 297-303) This application relates to reclining chairs and more particularly to chairs of the type having a support frame preferably of tubular construction, in which is pivotally mounted a tiltable unit comprising a seat, a back, and a foot rest, with such unit being movable forward and back to serve the desires of a person for sitting up, or reclining, as desired.

Such chairs in general are known. The improvements hereof relate specifically to certain aspects of such chairs which now will briefly be outlined.

A first aspect of the chair hereof is in the formation of the support frame, as well as the reclining unit frame, of tubular members, preferably aluminum tubing, light in weight and yet sturdy in construction.

A second aspect of the present invention is a novel spring balance means incorporated in the chair to give a desirable coaction to the reclining unit.

A third aspect of the present invention is a novel foot rest arrangement so constructed that the foot rest is automatically lifted when a person sits properly in the reclining unit and then moves his weight back for reclining.

These and other aspects of the present invention will best be understood upon reference to the appended drawings which show a preferred embodiment for purposes of illustration and not by way of limitation.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chair of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side section view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a chair with the parts collapsed for portability.

FIG. 4 is a plan section view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section view as if on line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view like FIG. 2 but showing the parts in a reclined seat position.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary section view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary section as if on line 8-8 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a composite view of certain links and other parts of the spring balance means.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of the spring balance action.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of the foot rest lifting action showing the seat without load thereon and with the foot rest lowered.

FIG. 12 is a view like FIG. 11 but showing the seat under load in reclined position and the foot rest lifted.

FIG. 13 shows diagrammatically a modified form of spring balance means.

FIG. 14 shows the parts of FIG. 13, but disassembled.

FIG. 15 is similar to FIG. 13, but in reclined position.

Now we refer to the drawings and particularly to the reference numerals thereon.

Supporting Frame The support is in the form of a frame 10 which has two sides, left and right, generally similar but differing in detail because they are left and right sides. The frame support comprises forward legs 11, FIG. 4, to which are secured by screws 12 a front stretcher bar 14.. To the upper ends of legs 11, at pivot points 16, are connected the ends of a front cross bar 17 which connects these forward legs and also connects the ends of main frame or side members 18 at whose rear ends are headed pivot pins 20 connecting the side members 18 to rear legs 22. These in turn are connected at 24 by a rear stretcher bar 26. At the upper ends of legs 11 and 22 are pivot pins 28-30 connecting these legs to arm rails 32 of double tube form.

Pivots 162tl2830 enable the frame to be collapsed as shown in FIG. 3. To inhibit collapse of the frame when not desired, there are provided locking straps 34 pivotally connected to the arm rails 32 at pivots 36 and having holes 38 for releasably receiving the heads of pins 20 and thus locking straps 34 to rear legs 22 and maintaining the support rigid.

All of the frame members including forward legs 11, front stretcher bar 14, side member 18, rear legs 22, rear stretcher 26 and arm rails 32 are of tubing, light in weight yet sturdy of construction. Rails 32 as shown are of double tubular form. Straps 34 are of strap form.

Reclining Seat The reclining seat 39 basically comprises a seat frame 40 of two side tubes 42 and two cross rods 44 and 46, forward and rear. Firmly anchored at 48, midway between the ends of side tubes 42 are seat support blocks or brackets 50 preferably of casting form, mounting and connected by a support cross rod 52 whose ends are connected by screws 54 to support brackets 56 firmly anchored by screws 58 to the main frame members 18 whereby these members 18 support the seat frame and fulcrum it on the main frame fulcrum rod 52, between the front and rear ends of the seat frame. Blocks 50 are connected for reinforcing purposes by a reinforcing cross rod 59 below the fulcrum cross rod 52.

Back

At the rear ends of the seat side members 42 and at the rear cross rod 46 of the seat, are firmly anchored, by screws 60, brackets 62 to which, by screws 64, are pivotally connected the lower ends of an inverted U-shaped piece of tubing 66 which forms the frame of the back 68.

For releasably locking back 68 to seat 39 at a desired angular adjustment and when desired, there are provided back locking and adjusting straps 70 pivotally connected at 72 to the back frame 68 and having keyhole slots 74, selected ones of which may be engaged over heads of pins 76 mounted on the seat frame tubes 42 near brackets 56 and in the side spaces between brackets 56 and blocks 50, that is, in the side spaces between the side tubes 42 of the seat and the side frame members 18 of the support.

Foot Rest A U-shaped piece of tubing comprises a frame 82 for a foot rest 84, with the ends of the frame 82 connected by screws 86 and by the front cross rod 44 to the seat frame 40.

Webbing Seat frame 40, back frame 66 and foot rest frame 82 are filled in by a webbing sheet which may be formed of individual woven cross straps and longitudinal straps. The Webbing extends from the forward bight end of the foot rest frame 82 to the rear bight end of the back frame 66.

Spring Balance As has been mentioned, a principal aspect of the present invention, now to be described in detail, is the spring balance construction that produces a novel coation of the parts and gives a special value to the chair shown. It will be understood that when a person sits down in the chair, his weight will be concentrated largely in the rear part of the seat 39, in back of fulcrum rod 52, with his back thrusting against back 68 of the reclining chair unit. For

- desirably balancing a person so seated, there is provided a spring balance construction now to be described.

Straps 110 (FIG. 6) have holes 112-114 through which pass center and rear cross rods 52 and 46 for pivotally anchoring these straps 110 to seat frame side tubes 42.

Straps 116 are firmly anchored to the seat frame tubes 42 and to the main frame by cross rods 52 and 17, center cross rod 52 passing through holes 118 in the rear ends of these straps 116, and forward cross rod 17 passing through open end slots 120 at the forward ends of these straps 116. Behind the cross rod 52 are brackets 122 whose upper ends are connected at 124 to straps 110 and Whose lower ends are connected by rivets 126 to the lower ends of straps 128, these having their upper ends connected by rivets 130 to straps 110, whereby straps 128 reinforce and brace the brackets 122. Forward of the cross rod 52 are brackets 132 fastened to straps 116 and 133 and mounting at 134 the forward ends of links 136 whose rear ends pass freely through holes in brackets 122. Links 136 mount coiled compression springs 140 whose rear ends abut brackets 122 and whose spring reaction may be adjusted by nuts 142 on threads of links 136.

Load on the rear part of seat 39 is accordingly balanced by springs 140 reacting against the seat through brackets 122 and reacting against the main frame or support frame through front cross rod 17.

Modified Spring Balance (FIG. 13)

This figure shows the seat side members 42 to which are secured at 48 support blocks 50 connected to center cross rod 52.

Connected to front cross rod 17 and to center cross rod 52 are straps 216 whose rear ends are extended and connected at 225 to bracket 222 whose upper ends are connected at 224 to straps 210 connected at their rear ends 214 to rear cross rod 46. Brackets 222 are also connected at 226 to reinforcing straps 228 connected at 229 to straps 210. Brackets 222 are also connected at 230 to spring links 236.

The latter have their forward ends connected at 231 to brackets 232 secured at 233 to straps 216. On links 236 are coiled springs and adjusting nuts, not shown, and hand grip sleeves 238 secured to the nuts for manual adjustment of spring action.

Load on the rear part of seat 39 is balanced by the spring links 236 reacting against the seat through brackets 222 and straps 210 and reacting against the main frame or support frame through front cross rod 17.

Foot Rest As has been mentioned, a second aspect of the invention relates to means for automatically lifting the foot rest 84 when a person seats himself in seat 39 properly and leans back against back 68, and this aspect of the invention will now be described in detail. There are pro- 4 vided lifter levers of strap form (FIG. 6) and these are journalled on front cross rods 17, the latter passing through slits 152 of levers 150. Forward holes 154 of levers 150 receive front cross rod 44 of foot rest 84 and seat frame 40. Forward edges 156 of levers 150 engage behind and under pins 158 on foot rest frame tubing 82.

Load on the rear part of seat 39, behind fulcrum 52, moves cross rods 44 upwardly to rock levers 150 clockwise, as shown, so that edges 156 engage pins 158 and lift foot rest 84 up and forward.

Now having described the chair construction herein shown, reference should be had to the claims which follow.

I now claim:

1. In a chair having a support comprising forward legs, rear legs, side members connecting the forward and rear legs, and a front cross bar connecting the forward legs; said chair also having a seat between the side members of the support; pivoting means for said seat comprising a fulcrum cross rod between the forward and rear ends of the seat supported at its ends by the side members of the support; said seat being connected to said fulcrum rod for fulcruming thereon; and spring balance means for the seat comprising rear brackets mounted on the seat behind the fulcrum rod, front links connecting the fulcrum rod and the front cross bar, and compression springs reacting against the rear brackets and said front links, said chair including rear links connecting the fulcrum rod and the rear of the seat, said rear links mounting said rear brackets.

2. A construction according to claim 1 including front brackets mounted on said front links with said springs reacting against said front brackets.

3. A construction according to claim 1 wherein the fulcrum cross rod is below the seat, being connected to it and to the side members of the support by vertical brackets depending from the side members and the seat.

4. A construction according to claim 1 wherein the fulcrum cross rod is below the seat, being connected to it and to the side members of the support by vertical brackets, depending from the side members and the seat; and including front brackets mounted on said front links with said springs reacting against said front brackets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

